Mexico’s new policies on drug trafficking may be reducing drug-related violence within the country, but its detrimental effects on Central America are noticeable. The combined efforts of Mexico and the United States to curb drug trafficking have resulted in drug suppliers moving to nearby Central American countries. This migration has dramatically increased the number of drug-related crimes in countries including Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua, and may also be an important catalyst in the accelerating deforestation of the area. Mexico and the United States should collaborate with Central American countries in order to overcome the growing drug trade between them.

Felipe Calderón, Mexico’s former president, used brute force to fight drug cartels worth an estimated $13 billion a year. Calderón deployed over 50,000 troops and the federal police to fight cartels. However, this strategy has actually increased the rate of drug-related violence. Current Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has helped reduce violence by establishing a gendarmerie and conducting rigorous investigations into the cartels. The United States has also stymied the drug trade by dedicating more resources to preventing cartels from illegally transporting drugs over the border from Mexico.

In response to these new policies, drug traffickers have found it profitable to move their operations to Central American countries. The rise in drug trafficking in these countries happens to be highly correlated with the growth in deforestation. While it is difficult to prove that the drug trade causes deforestation, researchers have proposed several explanations for why the two appear to be related. First, drug operations require roads, landing strips and other infrastructure to facilitate the transportation of large quantities of narcotics. Often, these landing strips will be in remote forests that can be important to the ecology.

Evidence also suggests that the drug trade is a cause of deforestation because local ranchers and land speculators become involved in the drug trade. When there is an influx of wealth in the region, they are more likely to expand their operations. Furthermore, drug traffickers themselves may find it favorable to convert forests into farmland in order to help them launder their hefty profits, and those who oppose the cartels are often violently threatened or bribed to look the other way.

If Central America responds to the problem by cracking down on narcotics, it will only cause drug traffickers to move to other neighboring countries, escalating the rate of deforestation. It is time for the United States, Mexico and Central American countries to address the narcotics problem collaboratively to prevent their efforts in vain.

Adam Fazlibegu is a staff columnist. Email him at [email protected].